Fighting in Yemen that has bordered on all-out civil war in the past month has forced as many as 14,800 people from their homes, according to a United Nations report for humanitarian affairs.
Calling the situation in Yemen “unstable,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report said that around 9,500 people left their homes in Arhab District around the capital, San'a, starting around mid-July.
Government forces have been engaging in street battles with tribal forces, many of whom support the months-long protests calling for an end to longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule.
Most of these displaced persons have been able to stay with relatives but are still in need of support. Others, however, are “residing in caves to avoid injury/death due to heavy shelling,” the report said.
In the southern province of Abyan, where al-Qaeda-linked militants have essentially taken over cities, Yemen government planes have conducted routine airstrikes. In one incident, a strike killed 11 pro-government supporters by accident.
According to an Amnesty Report published on Aug. 3, state security forces killed tens of people suspected of being al-Qaeda or Islamist insurgents, “some in circumstances suggesting that no attempt was made to arrest them.”
“Due to the volatile security situation and lack of access there is serious concern over unreported human rights abuses” in Abyan, says OCHA. Many government services have also been disabled due to the situation there.
